5 things that made Danny Boyle's 'Trainspotting' a cult classic

Danny Boyle presented the drug culture in Edinburgh, Scotland during the early 90s as a fast-paced, wild ride - a tragic comedy with a hypnotic soundtrack. After its release in 1996, the film was showered with praise and awards. The low-budget production, which cost less than three million euros to make, grossed more than 70 million. But what turned "Trainspotting" into a cult classic?

"Take your best orgasm ever, multiply it by 1,000, and you're still not even close to it." That's how the main character, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), enthusiastically describes a heroine high. "Trainspotting" depicts a drug-filled world that many had never seen before. Some critics, however, accused director Danny Boyle of glorifying drug abuse.

The film made the misery of addiction plainly visible. The baby of an addicted friend dies of neglect. The protagonist, Tommy, dies of toxoplasmosis that he likely contracted as a side effect of AIDS. The storyteller, Renton, is forced by his parents to undergo a radical detox program. The film also shows increasing brutalization and self-loathing that results from drug abuse.

"Trainspotting" presents a negative and satirical view of British society in the late 1980s. Adding to the movie's message is the sharp and highly provocative language of author Irving Walsh, who talks about decay and rot, piss and rats.

The story's oddball characters come to life thanks to the film's talented cast. "Trainspotting" was a milestone for Ewan McGregor and helped launch him into international stardom. His fellow actors, including Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner (picture) also gained fame through the movie.

Admittedly, human excrement tends to feature big in Danny Boyle's work. In "Slumdog Millionaire," which received an Oscar, the protagonist was forced to bathe in shit. But even that scene was topped by Ewan McGregor's immersion in "Scotland's dirtiest toilet" that evolved into a hallucinogenic dive in search of a lost opium suppository.

Renton's casual partner in the movie put it best: "Iggy Pop? I thought he was long dead." As a matter of fact, the soundtrack made some nearly forgotten icons of the 1970s like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed popular once again. Old songs like Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" were popular with moviegoers, as were Brit pop tunes by Blur.